GOP Presidential hopefuls seek billionaire’s big bucks

A slate of potential Republican presidential candidates is descending upon Las Vegas to court one of the GOP’s most powerful patrons.

Republican super donor Sheldon Adelson is the main attraction for White House hopefuls as the Republican Jewish Coalition begins its annual “spring leadership meeting” Thursday along the city’s storied strip, the site of Adelson’s Venetian resort hotel and casino.

With an eye on the 2016 presidential contest, prospective candidates and their aides have been aggressively courting such donors for months, but not like this. Already being called “the Sheldon primary,” the four-day event features Scotch tastings, private roundtable discussions, and golf and poker tournaments that bring together politicians and some of the GOP’s top money men, a powerful list Adelson leads.

Other high-profile participants include former Vice President Dick Cheney and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is also in Las Vegas this week.

The conference, like the increasingly murky world of campaign finance, is shrouded in secrecy.

Adelson rarely speaks publicly. And just one event is open to the media during the four-day gathering: a Saturday meeting with Walker, Christie and Kasich that’s expected to feature a question-and-answer session. Attendees have been told that questions this year must be submitted in advance, a break from tradition thought to help protect Christie from embarrassing questions about his recent struggles in New Jersey.

Bush is set to address donors Thursday evening at a private airport hangar.

Adelson, known for his devotion to Israel, is the Republican Jewish Coalition’s most influential benefactor. He donated more than $90 million to political candidates and super PACs in the last election cycle. His total donations may never be quantified publicly because various politically active groups that operate as nonprofit organizations don’t report the source of their funds.

Several Republican operatives who regularly speak to reporters were reluctant to comment on Adelson and his role in the next presidential contest. Those who did offered general praise of his generosity beyond politics.

Charlie Spies, who led the super PAC that backed Romney in 2012, said Adelson and his wife “are generous philanthropists that back causes ranging from educational to pro-Israel to political. It is often lost in the hype over their political giving that there are schools, museums and nonprofit organizations around the world with the Adelson name on them.”

Adelson gave the pro-Romney super PAC $15 million in four months before the last presidential election.

A Walker spokesman offered only a vague explanation when asked why the Wisconsin governor was attending the Las Vegas meeting.

Adelson is considered one of the 10 richest people in the world, with a net worth exceeding $40 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is also the driving force behind the push to bring the Republican National Convention to Las Vegas in 2016.